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Thursday, March 15, 2012

E-zines

The Internet rocks. To some, this may sound downright idiotic; to others, it's blasphemy. "Well, of course it rocks. Where have you been living the last 20ish years?!" says one side, while the other insists, "It's ruining the moral fiber of our country, and others." I totally understand both sides, I really do - I do worry that it, at times, has kept me from spending enough time with my husband or has been the master king of time suckage to my life. But, be that what it may, the Internet is still an awesome thing. Clearly. I'm blogging on it.

While I'm a user of Pinterest (I don't think I'd have the nursery art inspiration and other ideas that I'm currently housing without it!), I've been able to keep myself from getting obsessed. As it is, the blogs that I follow (and, believe me, it's not nearly as many as most folks...well, the folks who follow) provide me with enough eye candy and information to read on a daily basis. Oh, and if I miss a day or two, I'm set! It's like winning some strange jackpot.

Not that every aspect of the Internet is da bomb. I'm not a fan of Twitter (but I have one...which I rarely use...@megactsout, holla), and have a love/hate relationship that I'm trying to break off with Facebook (but it DOES help me know more about folks following my blog, and to keep up with possible cloth diaper deals, etc). And the fact that the Internet has absolutely deteriorated the use of general manners and decorum in conversation and treatment of others is disheartening. See, lots to hate.

But, what do I love? E-zines. There are some awesome e-zines out there that I'm getting into - and most are currently free. SERIOUSLY! (Why does that impress me so much?) Normal folks are putting information and eye candy out there for the whole world to see, mostly because they're uber passionate about the topic. It's a wonderful thing!

I do get regular ol' glossies, too, don't get me wrong. Thanks to a few REALLY good deals, I scored myself Real Simple (a mainstay that I've been reading since college...although it can be hit-or-miss), House Beautiful (which has actually been a disappointment, but dirt cheap and provides some eye candy) and Better Homes and Gardens. I also get a stack of used This Old House and Consumer Reports mags every time I visit my parents. (Dave gets some mags of his own, and we share The Writer). Oh, plus the Newsweek that I get free for donating to our local PBS station. And, yes, I recycle old copies. :-P

But, there's something neat about e-zines. They're relatively eco-friendly (sure, you're using a computer, but that uses a heck of a lot less energy than the creation of the paper versions), generally shorter (so you can easily read it in one sitting), and there are often links to cool products or places on the web that follow up with the story.

My new favorite is Kaia Magazine (and that's not just because I recently submitted an article for consideration). It's all about living realistically sustainably. The articles aren't overwhelming, expense-inducing or even lecturey (yes, I made that up) like lots of green living magazines seem to be - it's attainable. They've only released a couple of issues, but I hope they'll be around for the long haul.

I also enjoy The Lettered Cottage Magazine. Of course, I'm already a huge fan of Layla and Kevin's blog, but sometimes a magazine format gives you a case of the "oooOOOOooo"s. You know what I mean. It's when you see something in a glossy that looks wicked professional or pretty or gorgeous and you have to say "oooOOOOooo". Or, wait. Is that just me? Regardless, they rock.

And, lately, I just keep stumbling over new online magazines, mostly thanks to FB posts (sue me!) from other Kaia Magazine contributors/editors. I spent more time than I'd like to admit reading Green Child Magazine, for example. It's a great place to pick up ideas for raising kids in an eco-friendly setting. And, now that I'm "with child" and expanding exponentially, how can I resist? The recent issue even had a great review of various baby carriers. Sweet!

See what the Internet has to offer? I know, there are billions of other cool things out there, but currently I'm sticking with a few new e-zines. It's all my schedule can really handle, and I'm enjoying the process of learning new things (while not spending an arm and a leg on "regular" magazines).